Fastening foe machine-belting



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PETER ER NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS SMITH, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

FASTENING- FOR MAGHINE-BELTING.

Specicaton of Letters Patent No. 18,650, dated November 17', 1857.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS SMITH, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State 0f New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Belt-Clasps; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is an end view of the belt clasp. Fig. 2 a view showing the clasp connecting the ends of the belt. Fig. 3 a sectional view of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 a view of the underside of the clasp, and, Fig. 5, a top View of the same. Like letters refer to like parts in the several views.

This clasp may be of any desirable size, its construction being such that it may be made the width of the belt entire, or it may be made in two or three sections and the belt connected thereby.

This clasp consists of arms and lingers extending at right angles from a bar 0r rod to which they are connected. The arms A are curved, as seen in Figs. l, 2, and 3, this curved or circular form may if considered desirable, correspond to the circle of the pulley or drum over which it is to pass, but for all ordinary purposes, it is not necessary, as the width of the clasp, and its connection with the belt, will enable it to adapt itself readily to the various sized pulleys it may pass over.

B, Figs. 4 and 5, represents a bar from which extends the arms A, the ends of which form returns or fingers C, C, Fig. l. The underside of the fingers are slightly curved, so as to prevent them from striking and indenting the pulley, thereby they pass easily over it. The lingers are the only parts of the clasp that are brought in contact with the pulley, and these are soon imbedded in the belt, by the pressure in passing over the pulley or otherwise. The belt is punched with holes to receive the lingers, and as the belt is put on to the fingers, the ends D, D, of the belt Figs. 2, and 3, will approximate; the ends can be cut, if too long, so as to closely lit into the clasp of the fingers as seen in Figs. 2 and 3. The belt may then be so compressed by hammering or otherwise, that the lingers of the clasp will then be embedded in the leather, and will pass over the pulley without moving it out of place and without noise, or slipping of the belt, which is liable to be the case when the whole of one side of a clasp is brought into contact with the pulley. The ends of the fingers are square, as indicated at E, Figs. 3 and 4, these square ends prevent the belt from moving laterally out of line, which would be liable to be the case if the finger ends were rounded, and particularly so when a shifter is used; as the clasp passes over the pulley, the belt vibrates on the linger ends, thusV comforming to the circle of the pulley, without unnecessary strain, and preventing the tearing of the belt.

Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A series of curved arms, A, with facedend lingers C, extending from a bar B, on either side-and at right angles thereto composed of one entire piece-of metal being a new article of manufacture, and constituting a belt clasp, to be used in joining the two ends of belts in running machinery, in the manner specified.

LEWIS SMITH.

Witnesses W. H. BURRIDGE, C. A. VVALDRON. 

